In Jan/Feb 2009 Helena TOURED IN TEXAS with Joe Jencks: Joe Jencks (voice, guitar) & Helena Nash (voice, guitar). Visit Joe at www.joejencks.com and www.myspace.com/joejencks.
SECOND ALBUM RELEASED in 2008: Helena Nash & Greg Greer, formerly known as BUTTERFLY SKY.
Influences
Eva Cassidy, Martin Sexton, Sheila Chandra, Andrea Bunch, Mickey Hart, Aretha Franklin, Habib Koite, Shantala, Chicago Noise Coalition (improv), The Commitments (yes, the band in the movie).
The hundreds of singers and musicians I heard play at Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, including those I shared the stage or classroom with. OTS is a true musical home.
A myriad of very talented and often under-heard songwriters, singers and musicians whom I've had the pleasure to hear and sing harmonies with over many years! Many have also become my community, scattered as we are. Greg Greer, Joe Jencks, Pat Wictor, Michelle & Scott Dalziel, Ken Whiteley, Greg Greenway, Ken Gaines, Eric Schwartz, Andrea Bunch & AErin Tedesco, Michele & John Law, John Wort Hannam, Jud Caswell, Chris O'Brien, Holly Near, Cary Cooper & Tom Prasada-Rao, Eric Lowen & Dan Navarro, Randall Williams, John Brennan, Alton Smith, Bill Brickey, Jimmy Tomasello, Karen Mal, John Wort Hannam, John Flynn, Michele & John Law, Buddy Mondlock, Jack Williams, Joe Crookston, Chris Coleman & Ellen Hamilton, Ruthie Foster and so very many more.
Kerrville Folk Festival, Motown, World Music, the visceral resonance of HARMONY, the soulful music I find around so many bends in the road. I am grateful!
Sounds Like
Helena Nash + Eva Cassidy + Deva Premal + Bonnie Raitt + the trio of Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton.
"Helena Nash is a voice to listen for." - Steve Clarke, Acoustic Planet, Erin ON, Canada
Helena Nash has emerged as one of the finest harmony singers on the acoustic folk stage today. Her evocative voice and shimmering harmonies create a soulful, modern sound with an ancient backbone. “Nash’s voice is so soulful it magically transforms whatever she sings,” says Len Righi, of The Morning Call in Allentown, PA.
Helena’s rolling home during three of the past five touring years with folk & soul duo BUTTERFLY SKY was a shiny silver tour bus from Texas. Though no longer touring as a band, former duo members Helena Nash & Greg Greer released a long-anticipated album in February 2008, "Painting A Moving Train," recorded at Leopard Frog Studio in Kingston, ON, Canada.
The themes Helena touches on in her music mirror her modern yet timeless sensibility, telling stories that might have resonated in a human heart at any period of history. The eclectic sound created by Helena's current touring ensemble, Joe Jencks & Helena Nash, invites inventive and powerful expression of Helena’s harmonies, as well as showcasing her soulful lead singing. Her luminous spirit and joy of singing shine brightly through the music. In the words of fan Jer Lesman, “I’ve never seen anyone glow the way Helena does when she sings.” Helena is also invited in for recording projects from LA to Philly, adding her voice and harmonies to other artists’ albums and recording projects.
THE BACK STORY
Steeped in the roots and folk traditions of Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, Helena also holds a music degree from Monmouth College in Illinois. A former trumpet player of 16 years, she has a dedicated and diverse history as a vocalist. Helena’s ensemble experience ranges from a funk-rock band to classical choirs to all manner of jazz ensembles, Dixieland, pop, madrigals, show choirs, theatrical productions, percussive improv, doo-wop, folk and soul bands.
Since the time she began to talk, Helena has harbored a love for joining her voice with others and for a making beautiful noise. A picture from the crawling era is displayed in the family album. With dad's red and silver Comet harmonica clamped in smiling mouth, Helena is happily blowing teeth marks into the instrument. Harmony singing with Dad and his guitar began around the age of four, and Helena started performing publicly soon after.
Fast forward through hundreds of ensembles and performing experiences in various educational settings over the next 20 years to find Helena in Chicago in the 1990’s involved in music production at several recording facilities, as well as her mastering facility, Colossal Mastering. During this time she served for two years on the Board of Governors for the Chicago Chapter of the Recording Academy (“The Grammy People”).
After a 10-year stint in Chicago, in 2003 Helena hit the road, touring full-time with singer-songwriter Greg Greer. They converted a shiny silver Kerrville Lines coach bus and called it home for the next three years. Billed as BUTTERFLY SKY, the duo lived and played music all over Texas, the Northeast and the Midwest, bringing their signature harmonies to such venues as Steel City Coffee House near Philly, Jefferson Freedom Café in Fort Worth, Texas, and Anderson Fair in Houston. The album “TURN” was released during this time.
PAINTING A MOVING TRAIN (2008)
In 2008 Helena Nash & Greg Greer released “Painting A Moving Train,” recorded in Canada at Leopard Frog Studio with producer/engineer Chris Coleman. Capturing 13 favorite songs from the 2003-2007 touring years, the album is a rich weaving of flavors ranging from the tight two-part harmony of "Dance Around The Fountain" and gospel-infused, layered vocals of “Wandering Seed (Where Is My Home),” to the country-flavored fiddle of “Mr. Lock Man (Mend My Love)” and the bohemian voice- and clarinet-driven, “Abby.”
A hallmark of Helena’s song choices and writing is a universal embracing of traditions and a celebration of human spirit. “Grace of God,” track five on the album, is written in English, Arabic, Sanskrit, Italian and Cherokee, and speaks of “a spirit living through us all/that doesn’t want a name.” Also penned by Helena, “Wandering Seed (Where Is My Home)” is a gospel-infused soul piece about the search for home and nourishment: “Where is my home/Where do I belong/Where am I going/How can I stay strong/Where is my home/Where can I breathe/Bless me with water/Plant this wandering seed.”
“Painting A Moving Train” is available online at www.cdbaby.com/nashgreer or at shows across North America and Canada.
Helena Nash is a member of the American Federation of Musicians Local 1000 and The Folk Alliance.
Hey! It was so nice to meet you as well. Awesome sound and soul! looking forward to hearing you play and having some inspiring conversations again:-) joanna
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